As the crisis continues with an indefinite timeline, I’ve been looking for ways to simplify digitally. Now that I’m doing multiple Zoom calls per day, and not getting the same variety of face-to-face interactions, I’ve been more conscious of regular screen time outside the professional context.
Here are a few of my changes:
- Turn off all iPhone notifications, including the Lock Screen, Notification Center, Banners, and Badges for all apps. The only notifications allowed? Texts and calls. That’s it. Removing my Slack and Gmail notifications greatly simplified things.
- Turn on Do Not Disturb for all hours outside normal working hours and enable Allow Calls from Favorites. Shut everything down when you aren’t working. Everything. We don’t need more interruptions.
- Remove distracting apps like the News app. I found myself constantly reading the news, and with much of it was about the crisis, I was hurting my focus even more. Eliminate noise.
- Combine the email inbox and to do list into one. I use my Gmail Inbox and the excellent Snooze function to constantly prioritize what’s important, and when. New to do list item? I email it to myself and then Snooze it to when I focus on it. If I have extra time, I visit the Snoozed folder in Gmail and look at the outstanding items. Constant reprioritization.
With time, I’m sure more ideas to simplify digitally with emerge. I’m pleased with the progress so far and recommend these easy changes. And, of course, these changes should have been done prior to the crisis.
What else? What are some more ideas to simplify digitally?
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David Cummings, Khareem Sudlow
